Thin Line Between Heaven and Here
by Pheobe Caulfield
Summary: Unable to find her happily ever after, Hermione begins spiraling into a series of self destructive habits...but who's the man to catch her when she falls?
1. Insomnia

A/N-The story takes place after the Deathly Hallows with George passing instead of Fred and without any Hermione and Ron pairing.

**Insomnia**

Fred Weasley lay prostrate on his bed, eyes shut firmly against a sweat soaked pillow. He slowly pried his right arm off his sheets and fumbled around his nightstand for his wand. After several fruitless seconds, Fred placed a firm grasp on the thin stick and turned his head to the side. The heat was unimaginable in his room; even in the middle of June there was no reason he should be this uncomfortable, he was a _wizard_ for goodness sake. Fred mumbled a barely audible spell and a cool blue frost emitted from his wand and immediately took down the temperature in his room. Sighing with relief, Fred held his wand up several seconds longer before placing it back on the nightstand and readjusting himself on his bed. Blinking one, twice, three times he closed his eyes and prepared for a night of rest…

BAM!

Fred let out a gasp and nearly fell out of his bed in shock.

"What the hell?" Fred mumbled. Fighting off grogginess, he stumbled out of bed and took several haphazard steps to the door before regaining complete control of his lower extremities. Cracking open his door, Fred peeked his head out to see what the commotion was about.

"I don't care WHAT excuses you have, it's _completely_ unacceptable!" A shrill voice that sounded much like Mrs. Weasley's, but _not_, resounded throughout the household.

"Ginny, please calm down, this isn't the time or the place to be discussing this." The hushed tone of Harry trying to placate Ginny traveled up the stairs.

"Don't you dare tell me to calm down Harry James Potter! Get your hands OFF me!" Ginny's screech made Fred wince. He briefly weighed his options, which were going down to see what the two lovebirds were fighting about or returning to bed. He chose the latter.

Before he was able to fully retreat into his room, a hand slipped in between the doorframe.

"Fred, wait," Hermione hurriedly whispered. "Can I come in?"

Eyebrows raised, Fred opened his door to allow access to his friend.

"What's up?"

"I don't want to keep you up, it's just I was bunking with Ginny, and well…you can hear it for yourself."

"Yeah, what is all that? I heard a crash and came out and the two were having a row."

Hermione folded her arms across her chest and rubbed her arms, looking uncomfortable. "I'm not entirely sure of the whole story…but it sounds like Harry's been doing something he shouldn't have been. I've never seen Ginny act like that before."

Fred nodded his head in agreement. "Which is why I'm casting a silencing charm so I can get some shut eye." With a casual flick of his wand, the shouting and banging emanating from downstairs vanished into silence. "Presto." Fred turned to Hermione with a small smile. "Would you like the floor or shall I take it?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh! No, I mean…they shouldn't be too much longer. I'll just…sit. Until they're finished."

Fred furrowed his eyebrows and looked around at his chair-less room. "Um, okay. If you change your mind, you know where the bed is."

It was Hermione's turn to furrow her eyebrows, "You're going to bed?"

Fred plopped himself on his mattress. "Well, I know that it's an odd concept and there are many rumors about me having vampiric qualities-but yes, I do sleep on occasion."

Hermione frowned and wrapped herself tighter with her arms. Fred's mind started clicking a little faster. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes." Hermione replied a little too quickly. "I just wanted a respite from Harry and Ginny. It's their first fight as far as I know-it was bound to be huge."

"Would you like to lay down for a bit then?" Fred was running out of ideas of what Hermione could possibly want. And the reason that she had come to _his _room instead of Ron's was quickly becoming a cause for suspicion.

Hermione opened, then closed, then opened her mouth in response, "That would be nice." Her response was court and stiff.

Fred scooted over on his bed allowing ample room for Hermione to lay down. Her actions were beyond abnormal, but the prospect of sleep was overwhelming. He'd just have to figure it out in the morning. Fred turned to Hermione and watched her slowly walk over and stiffly sit on the bed. Then, one leg at a time, she swung them over and laid her head down on the pillow. Her arms were folded across her stomach and he was able for the first time in months to get a good look at the girl.

She looked exhausted, and not just from being up at three in the morning. Her hair was expectedly frizzy, but it had managed to lose a lot of its luster that Hermione had worked so hard to retain since her fourth year. She was thin too, verging on unhealthy, he could count every rib underneath the blue tank-top she was wearing. The bags under her eyes made the rest of her face seem sunken. Fred didn't usually have high expectations at this hour, but this seemed unusual.

Fred opened his mouth to say something but Hermione cut him off.

" I haven't been sleeping a lot lately."

Fred inclined his head towards her. "Well I guessed as much since you're awake, but I thought it was just because of Harry and Ginny."

Hermione continued as if he hadn't said anything, "I've just…I don't know, there's something wrong that I can't quite put a finger on. It's been really difficult to try and talk to Ron and Harry. And usually I would just talk to Ginny, but she's been rather preoccupied with Harry," a small smile tugged at her mouth. "It's just really hard to find someone to talk to."

Fred nodded stiffly. "So you figured you'd come to the only Weasley left?" the statement was meant to be light, but it came out cold and hard, much more so than he had expected.

Hermione's reaction showed less in her face than it did her eyes, but she seemed to be expecting that kind of response. "I didn't mean it like that," she said softly. "I just thought you might be curious as to why I'm here and not in Ron's room."

Mentally berating himself, Fred forced himself to be friendly. He didn't want to ostracize someone that he was genuinely concerned about. "The thought did cross my mind. I just figured you had gotten confused in the darkness and stumbled into my room by accident," he lied.

"I just thought if I spent some time with you the change of scenery might help."

Fred gave her a genuine smile. "You came to the right place dear Hermione. I'm glad to be of some assistance." Fred waved his wand and the lights slowly faded. He reached across Hermione's chest to put his wand on the nightstand and he felt her breath against his arm. He slowly pulled back and settled into his bed. Though he had been so looking forward to sleep, he couldn't help but stare into the darkness. The two were on their backs and the uncomfortable air that was in the room was almost palpable. Not that it was unexpected; though Hermione had been through a lot with the Weasley's, it's not like the two were best friends.

Fred felt Hermione squirming on the bed, her arm touched his briefly and both pulled away sharply as if there was an electric shock that went through them.

"Sorry," Hermione muttered, the clarity in her voice indicating that she was nowhere near sleep.

"S'okay." Fred turned on his side, his back facing Hermione. The more he thought about the situation they were in the more ridiculous it was beginning to seem. Hermione Granger in his bed-for no particular reason other than insomnia. _Well, truth is stranger than fiction, _Fred thought wryly.

The minutes stretched into hours and the light of morning crept through Fred's curtains, casting a pale blanket throughout his room. Fred had gotten a couple winks of sleep, finally drifting off at some point in the night. He turned over to find Hermione on her back, eyes open.

"Morning." Hermione said as Fred flipped onto his back.

Even though it was the break of dawn, Fred felt strangely alert. "Hermione, have you been awake this whole time?" he asked incredulously.

Hermione didn't say anything, but her pursed lips and the way she averted her eyes spoke volumes.

"Hermione," Fred addressed her in a solemn tone that he had adopted frequently since the death of his twin, "This is ridiculous. Have you tried taking any potions to help you sleep?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't want to start relying on potions or pills or magical fix-its to get through this. It's something that wasn't started with magic so it can be fixed naturally."

Fred observed her with a critical eye, the pale light made her skin look pallid. He knew she wasn't one to lay out in the sun all day like his sister, but she looked sickly. "Have you been eating enough?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Hermione tried to crack a smile, but it faltered after a moment. Fred could see her exterior shell begin to break down and crumble.

"I don't know what's wrong with me Fred," she confessed. Hermione sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. "I feel like a zombie lately, I can't eat, I can't sleep, nothing seems appealing to me anymore."

Fred sat up but stayed where he was on the bed. "You're telling me that neither Harry nor Ron nor Ginny have noticed this?"

"Not exactly…if you haven't noticed your brother and sister aren't doing too well either. Everyone's still trying to deal with what happened, this kind of behavior is normal. I thought you would understand," she said slowly. She turned her head to the side, allowing a profile view of her face.

"Why would I…I mean what makes you think that I could help?"

Hermione shrugged, "You're always busy, but the strain is still noticeable. You can stay at the shop all you want but you have to face it sometime."

Fred pushed himself off the bed and walked over to his window, away from Hermione. "Face what exactly?" He asked her coldly, knowing full well what she was talking about.

"Fred, don't play games. If you don't want to discuss it, that's fine. I just wanted you to know you're the one I came to for help and if you can't or won't help I understand. I just had to get it out there."

Fred turned towards her. She had rested her hand behind her so that she could face Fred fully and look him straight in the eyes. The one thing he noticed that hadn't vanished from her façade was the burning fire that laid behind her eyes. Seeing some life in her brought back some of her old features and made her fatigued face seem more alive.

"I want to help, Hermione, I really do because honestly you look like hell. But I just don't know what you're asking me to do." Fred held up his hands, as if he was admitting defeat before he had even had even tried.

"I just…" Hermione bit her lip. It was rare to see her at a loss for words, she was typically the quickest thinker of the three. "I just want to spend time with you is all. I think it would help."

Fred quirked an eyebrow. "And what gave you that idea?"

"Intuition? I suppose it was just a gut feeling, nothing else is working," she responded with a shrug, causing one of her straps to fall.

"Fair enough. Maybe we should start in a couple hours though? It is about five in the morning, you are aware?"

Hermione's whole demeanor seemed to droop. "Of course." With a small smile, she rose from the bed and towards the door. "They must've stopped fighting by now anyway. It's lucky your parents are gone for the next two weeks, I can't imagine Mrs. Weasley if she had been woken up by their screaming."

"Something tells me they would have kept it a little quieter if Mum had been around."

Hermione nodded and gave Fred a fleeting smile before disappearing behind the door.

Fred sank onto his bed and ran his hand through hair, sighing deeply. He couldn't imagine what had possessed Hermione to want to come talk to him. It's not like he was ever unfriendly to her, but he wracked his brain as to what would've given her the idea that he would be an adequate confidant.


	2. Magical Mishap

Author's Note: Without sounding terribly desperate, if you take the time to read this chapter, can you _please_ review! I have no idea what to improve if I don't get any feedback. Thanks!

Magical Mishap

"Hermione. Hermione. 'MIONE!"

Hermione started so badly she fumbled the book she was holding into the pond.

"Sorry," apologized Fred sheepishly, fishing her book out with the tip of his wand.

Hermione sighed deeply and accepted the sodden book from Fred's outstretched hand. "It's okay, nothing a little magic can't fix," she muttered, waving her wand at the book.

Nothing happened.

"Do you want me to help?" Fred looked at the book, and Hermione, with concern. This was the first time since he had known Hermione that she had ever faltered with a spell.

"No!" She snapped. "It's fine, it was probably just the wrong charm…or something."

Fred knew that even Hermione didn't believe what she was saying, but he let it slide. It had been several days since she had come to his room and neither had said much to the other since. Fred had written it off as just a lark, but the more he noticed Hermione's eating habits the more he grew concerned. The others in the house didn't seem to be taking note of Hermione's deteriorating health, he couldn't blame them too much. They were each dealing with the events of a month ago in their own way; they were all becoming somewhat isolated from each other. Which made it even harder to reach out for help.

"Can I sit?" Fred indicated to the patch of grass next to Hermione.

"Sure," she unnecessarily scooted over.

"Thanks." Fred plopped down next to her and brought his knees up to his chest. "Nice day."

"Yeah." Hermione idly fingered her soggy book with a look of great consternation. Though Hermione was neglecting food, she had taken her clothes up another notch, Fred observed. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her in a pair of jeans and t-shirt. It was weird. She was never into fashion as far as he knew…but then again, there were a lot of things he didn't know about her.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing. I know it must've taken a lot for you to ask _me_ for help when you have friends like Harry and Ron around."

Hermione was silent, still staring intently at her book.

Fred sat with her in silence for a moment, waiting for her to speak. "Why don't I just leave you alone with your thoughts and if you decide you want to talk, you can find me at the joke shop. Fred pushed himself off the ground in one swift movement. He took a few steps away to make room for apparation when he heard Hermione's voice cry out softly.

"Fred, wait!" Still clutching her book, she jogged toward him. "Can I have dinner with you tonight?"

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Hermione's sudden desire to have dinner with Fred was starting to sink in as less surprising than he originally thought. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense that she would try and reach out to someone that she didn't know for help, it was easier to talk to a third party, like a therapist of sorts. She wanted to make a clean slate and that's why she needed him.

Fred blinked. Hermione needed him. The idea that someone like Hermione, the girl who started an organization for the advancement of house elf rights, the girl who nearly put Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes out of business while he was at Hogwarts, the girl who dated Victor _Krum,_ the idea that a girl like _her_ needed him was completely and totally laughable had he been telling this to anyone else who knew the pair.

The line that was Fred's mouth nearly disappeared as he stared down at a variety of potions he had been putting together. To say that he was doing it halfheartedly would be an understatement. How odd to think how fervently he had worked on new spells and potions after the incident at Hogwarts, and now a thing like dinner with Hermione could have such an interference with his work.

With a wave of his wand, the potions disappeared and Fred sank low into his chair, his head resting in his hands. He pressed his palms tightly against his eyes and heaved a sigh. He didn't know what else he had if he didn't have his work. He pulled his head up slowly, letting his fingertips tug at his face as they moved down towards his chin. He thought about the night ahead of him. Was he feeling anxious? Or was it just the fact that he had something to look forward to for the first time in months. Either way, he decided to go upstairs to pick out something to wear.

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_Knock knock_

"Coming!" Fred hollered from his bedroom. Taking one last look in the mirror, he tugged his shirt straight and headed towards the door.

He felt a slight jitter in his stomach, knowing who it was that had knocked. Swinging the door open with an unneeded flourish, he welcomed Hermione. Or at least, the Hermione he thought he was welcoming.

Behind his door was not the girl he had watched grow up beside his gangly brother, but rather a woman, albeit a tired woman. While unable to completely hide the fact that she had lost unnecessary weight, Hermione played it to her advantage by wearing a billowy white button down tucked into a tight black skirt that cut off several inches above her knees. Fred couldn't help but let his eyes wander down the entire length of her body, right down to her tall, black heels. Catching himself (a little too late) Fred directed his eyes back to Hermione's with a grin. He took note that her hair had returned to its luxurious state, shiny and in perfect curls.

"Hey," said Fred, a little breathlessly.

"Hey," she greeted him back with a small smile. "May I come in?"

Fred nodded and pulled away from the doorway, allowing her entrance. But she had only taken a few steps into the room before she stopped in her tracks.

"Wow." He heard her utter. "This place is-it's amazing Fred."

Fred shut the door and walked towards the kitchen. "Yeah, it's a little different than it was a couple months ago. I sort of needed a change of scenery."

"Well, you did a fantastic job, really you did," Hermione praised him.

"Actually, Carolos did a fantastic job. He was the one I hired to decorate the place." Fred stopped to take a look at the flat. Hermione was right, it was really something else. So much time did he spend in the shop, he hadn't gotten a good chance to exam it, he mostly went straight to bed without bothering to turn on the lights. The first view when one walked in the door was straight past the living room and through to the giant picture window that gave way to a panoramic view of London. Everything in the flat was sleek with a palette of black and white. He couldn't have asked for more of a different atmosphere from his mum's home.

"Well, nonetheless, it's wonderful." After a moment she added, "But..it doesn't quite suite you."

"Oh?" Fred had continued into the kitchen and spoke to her though the bar that had been installed. He pulled down two wine glasses. "How so? And, red or white?"

"White, and it just doesn't fit the joskster bachelor pad I had envisioned."

Pouring the wine, Fred cracked a smile. "So you had visions about this place, huh?"

"Not what I meant," Hermione replied, but not unfriendly.

"Here," Fred walked around the bar and into the living room to hand her a glass.

"Thank you." Hermione received the glass with a smile. She nursed the glass in her hand as she took several steps towards the window.

"This is a really gorgeous city. For all the time we spent in Diagon Alley, why didn't we ever enjoy London?" Hermione turned to Fred as if he had an answer. "It's like we weren't ever impressed unless something was shooting flames out of its mouth or turning people into slugs."

Fred shrugged. "Compared to the wizarding world, don't you think that the muggle universe is sort of bland?"

Hermione's face shaped into that of disagreement and Fred felt an argument coming on. "I think that's just a matter of opinion. You've never explored the muggle world so how could you make a judgement?"

"Well, I don't need to go into London to know that they won't have wands or acid pops or broomsticks," Fred countered.

"Yes, but don't you have an appreciation for art and culture?" Hermione turned to face him. "Surely you could appreciate the _food_ of other countries."

Fred smiled softly. He didn't want to keep up the friction that was already building between the two, no matter how harmless it may be. "There's one thing I do know I appreciate, and that's good wine and a beautiful woman."

The instant the words were out of his mouth Fred knew it was the wrong girl to say it to, not to mention that it was too corny even for his taste. Hermione's mouth formed a tight frown and she moved away from the window and towards the kitchen. Fred didn't quite know what had gotten into him, he wasn't talking to just any woman, he was with _Hermione_ for Christ's sake. It was going to take a lot more than a cheap line to make her feel complimented. But it's not like he didn't believe what he had said….she certainly had blossomed over the years.

"Hermione-look can we please start over. I don't feel like this night is getting off to a good start."

Hermione set her drink down untouched. "I think you're right. Maybe this was a mistake."

"No, Hermione, don't do this." Fred started towards her as she made a beeline for the door. He grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"Do what, Fred?" She said with venom that he had only heard her use on people trying to kill her.

"Don't just walk out of here." He said heatedly.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" She shot back.

"Listen," he let go of her wrist and pointed his finger to her face. "I know something is wrong, you told me that two nights ago. You're not eating and you're not sleeping and you won't talk to anyone except me, for whatever reason. I know that you're a big girl and that you think you can take care of everything by yourself, but you _can't_." Fred took a breath and watched Hermione's eyes grow in shock, but he pressed on. "No one can, okay? You've been through a lot and I'm not going to let you close yourself off to me like you have everyone else."

There was an icy silence before either of them spoke. "Don't you think you should be telling that to yourself?" said Hermione.

"Saying what to myself?" He asked irritably.

"I don't know, the part about not closing yourself off to everyone and not being able to handle everything by yourself. You didn't include yourself when you said that I had been through a lot. I'm not the only one who lost someone Fred."

Fred clenched his jaw, trying to think of something to say in response. The fact was she had made a valid point, but he wasn't willing to admit it out loud.

Hermione sighed deeply and broke her gaze from Fred's. She walked over to kitchen where she had abandoned her drink and downed half in one take. She then topped off her glass and walked towards the window.

Fred watched her apprehensively. He wasn't entirely sure if Hermione drinking was a good or bad sign. He opened his mouth to begin to say something when he heard her groan.

"You're right. I know you're right." Still standing with her back to him, she continued. "It's just hard to admit that."

_You have no idea,_ Fred thought grimly. Out loud, he said, "I know it's hard, but it's harder to handle this by yourself." He walked towards her and took a place next to her looking out the window, but not really seeing the landscape.

"I just don't understand it," Hermione confessed. "I feel like we were all supposed to live happily ever after and it just never came. There was no time to feel relieved or happy, it was just all this grief."

Fred turned to give her a sad smile. "That doesn't mean it won't happen in time, nor does it mean you should feel guilty about being happy that it's all finally over. We all knowingly put our lives at risk…you, Harry and Ron more than anyone."

Hermione shook her head. "I just wish I knew how to make this go away."

"Hermione," Fred started, "You don't have to have the answers to everything. It's probably not just _one_ thing anyway."

Hermione responded by taking another large gulp of her wine. It was the first time Fred recollected Hermione ever drinking. Fred decided to follow suit and down most of his. The only way they were going to make this night bearable was with large quantities of alcohol.

An hour and a half later, the two had situated themselves on the couch, the bottle of wine they were sharing gone. They had been reminiscing about Hogwarts and Hermione was bringing up old details he had never noticed before.

"I always thought you and George secretly hated me," she said with a sly smile, sipping on her glass. "Or were highly amused by me."

Fred shook his head, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Hated you? What makes you think we hated you?"

"Well, I don't know, I did stop you from making a lot of improvements when you were testing your products on first years. I can only imagine what a hindrance I was."

"I will admit, you were a royal pain in our asses," Fred conceded. "But, I'm fairly certain George had a crush on you."

Hermione's cheeks flushed slightly. "You think?"

"Sure. I mean, he loved Katie, we all knew that. But I think I was the only one who knew him well enough to notice the way he looked at you."

Hermione raised her eyebrows in interest and gulped down the rest of her drink, no longer drinking it sparingly. "Do you have anymore?" She asked quickly, tilting her wineglass.

"Um, yeah in the kitchen," Fred began to stand up but Hermione was faster. He watched as she took a step backwards to keep her balance.

"Woah." She giggled. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Here," Fred put down his glass on the coffee table and stood up. He felt a familiar lightheaded feeling, but he focused on the task at hand. He put a hand on Hermione's arm to keep her steady. "I think we may have had enough."

"Nonsense," Hermione shrugged his hand off and started towards the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of red wine out of the cupboard. "Where's the corkscrew?"

"Corkscrew?" Fred narrowed his eyes. Why was she asking for a corkscrew when she had a wand? "Don't have one."

Hermione snorted. "You have wine but you don't have a corkscrew? How did you open the first one?"

Fred's reappraised Hermione's outfit, he didn't see her wand anywhere. "With magic." He answered bluntly. "Hermione, what's going on? Where's your wand."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "Nothings going on. I just didn't bring it."

"You didn't bring your wand? On purpose?" asked Fred, shocked at her response.

Hermione shrugged, her hand still on the unopened bottle of wine. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"The big deal-Hermione you're a witch! It's like walking out of your house and forgetting an arm!"

"Look, I just didn't think I needed it. This was just supposed to be dinner. I didn't think I was going to be performing magic tricks for you, okay?" Hermione snapped.

Fred sensed her self defense mechanisms coming into play and decided to take it down a notch. If she felt like she was being interrogated she would never answer any of his questions and walk out on him.

"Okay, it's just a little strange is all. I've never seen you without your wand."

"You've never really seen that much of me at all, have you?" Her tone changing quickly from aggravated to somewhat seductive.

Hermione abandoned the bottle and walked towards Fred. He felt a flutter go through his stomach and into his chest as she approached. Hermione stopped so that they were toe to toe, her face turned up towards his. She stared at him intently, raising her eyebrows in a come hither look.

Fred licked his lips, unsure of the next move. This was so unlike Hermione, he was beginning to think she was an imposter. The fact that he was standing so close to her that he could count each of her freckles was unsettling. He had never been in a situation with a girl where he didn't know what to do or what to say. The whole ordeal was shaking him to his core and all she was doing was standing there.

"What do you want to do to me?" whispered Hermione.


End file.
